The leaders of the Opposition from both houses of Parliament, Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge, skipped the Independence Day celebrations at the Red Fort, prompting the BJP to label Rahul a “lover of Pakistan”.
At last year’s event, Rahul was given a seat in the second-last row, behind the Olympians, in a departure from protocol.
BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla posted on X: “This was a national celebration but sadly Lover of Pakistan Rahul Gandhi — in Modi virodh does Desh & Sena Virodh!”
Both Rahul and Kharge, however, attended the Congress’s Independence Day celebrations at the party’s new Indira Bhavan headquarters.
Rahul stood without an umbrella in pouring rain when Kharge hoisted the flag. Kharge had to cut his speech short because of the rain.
The Congress president later said in a video message: “The foundation of Indian democracy is fair elections. Dr Ambedkar said in the Constituent Assembly on June 15, 1949, that — ‘Franchise is a most fundamental thing in a democracy. No person who is entitled to be brought into the electoral rolls… should be excluded merely as a result of prejudice….’ However, now the ruling party is ready to go to the extent of immorality to stay in power. Large-scale irregularities in elections are coming to light.”
He said the votes of the Opposition were being openly cut under the guise of the special intensive revision of electoral rolls.
“Those who are alive have been declared dead. The impartiality of the Election Commission of India can be understood from the fact that they were not ready to disclose who and on what basis the votes were being cut,”
Kharge said.
He added: “Remember, this is not a fight to win elections; this is a fight to save Indian democracy…. To fight this very battle, Rahul ji is starting the ‘Vote Adhikar Yatra’ from Sasaram in Bihar on the 17th. All of you must come together to make it successful.”